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Brevard Commissioners set hearing to sunset Barefoot Bay water district after residents protest high rates
Summary
The board moved to hold a public hearing to adopt an ordinance to sunset the Barefoot Bay Water & Sewer District effective Dec. 31, 2029, after extended public comment about high rates, bond indebtedness and whether dissolution should wait until bonds are retired; the motion to set the hearing passed unanimously.
Brevard County commissioners voted to set a public hearing to adopt an ordinance that would sunset the Barefoot Bay Water & Sewer Utility District on Dec. 31, 2029, after a lengthy public hearing in which residents described repeated rate increases and urged the county to act sooner.
Staff explained the ordinance would dissolve the dependent special district at the end of 2029 and transfer district property and indebtedness to the county at that time. Residents from Barefoot Bay told the board their rates had risen substantially in recent years and asked whether dissolution should occur now with users continuing to pay bonds or wait until the district's indebtedness is retired. "Our rates increased by 49% over 4 years," a resident said, urging the board to move now to prevent continued unaffordable charges.
County counsel and staff replied that the district is currently a dependent special district governed by the county, the Board of County Commissioners sets rates, and the proposed ordinance contemplates honoring existing contractual obligations until transfer at dissolution; staff also said the board will address rates in forthcoming agenda items. One resident asked who would bear the cost if the district incurred new debt between now and 2029; counsel said the board retains authority to direct operations and rates in the interim.
After public comment and discussion, a commissioner moved to set the ordinance and public hearing to adopt the sunset, with the sunset date shown in meeting materials as Dec. 31, 2029. The motion carried unanimously, and staff will return a formal ordinance and notice for a subsequent hearing on the measure. The board also noted a separate rate public hearing will be scheduled as required to address Barefoot Bay rates prior to dissolution.
The vote does not immediately change rate structures or day-to-day operations; it initiates the formal ordinance process and sets a targeted dissolution date in 2029, leaving open the precise sequence of asset and debt transfers and any interim rate-setting actions the board may need to take.
